Inhibiting Ion Migration Through Chemical Polymerization and Chemical Chelation Toward Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2023 Dec 11;62(50):e202314106. doi: 10.1002/anie.202314106. Epub 2023 Nov 8.

Abstract

The migration of ions is known to be associated with various detrimental phenomena, including current density-voltage hysteresis, phase segregation, etc., which significantly limit the stability and performance of perovskite solar cells, impeding their progress toward commercial applications. To address these challenges, we propose incorporating a polymerizable organic small molecule monomer, N-carbamoyl-2-propan-2-ylpent-4-enamide (Apronal), into the perovskite film to form a crosslinked polymer (P-Apronal) through thermal crosslinking. The carbonyl and amino groups in Apronal effectively interact with shallow defects, such as uncoordinated Pb2+ and iodide vacancies, leading to the formation of high-quality films with enhanced crystallinity and reduced lattice strain. Furthermore, the introduction of P-Apronal improves energy level alignment, and facilitates charge carrier extraction and transport, resulting in a champion efficiency of 25.09 %. Importantly, P-Apronal can effectively suppress the migration of I- ions and improve the long-term stability of the devices. The present strategy sets forth a path to attain long-term stability and enhanced efficiency in perovskite solar cells.

Keywords: Crosslink; Defect Passivation; Ion Migration; Perovskite; Solar Cells.